Looking back at Freddie Roach the fighter

Long before he was one of the world’s best trainers, he was an exciting fighter.

It’s hard to believe that 2023 marks 45 years since the pro debut of Freddie Roach.

Freddie Roach’s success as a trainer has come from a great knowledge of the game. He has innate talent as a coach, gained from a lifetime spent in the sport. He also had strong mentoring under former trainer Eddie Futch, a soft-spoken legend in the sport who worked with the likes of Larry Holmes and Joe Frazier, among others. However, the foundation of Roach’s success stems from his mantra of hard work and determination as both trainer and a fighter.

Boxing Hall of Fame legend Roach has gained fame as one of the very best trainers in boxing, past or present. His countless list of world champions and contenders, trained out of his popular “Wild Card Boxing” gym in Hollywood, California, is very impressive, to say the least.

Roach has worked in boxing, as both a fighter (40-13, 15 KOs) and trainer, through many eras of the sport. He is indeed active in this modern era, but he is, in many ways, very old school in his approach to the game. Like most trainers, Roach has seen the benefits of a team concept and will incorporate nutritionists and conditioning coaches into his crew (vastly talented conditioning specialist Pedro Garcia works primarily out of the Wild Card with many of Roach’s boxers). However, when you step through the ropes, Roach follows an old school, simple mantra of ‘hard work’- nothing more complicated than that.

When a Roach fighter steps into the gym, it is to train hard - bag work, mitt work, and sparring. And lots of it. Nutrition and conditioning must be on point, but after that, it is simply hard work and the fundamentals to hone a strong game both defensively and offensively. And the willingness to embrace the mindset that goes with a strict, hard-work mantra. If a fighter isn’t prepared to work hard, all the time, Roach will probably not be the coach for him.

Roach has worked with some of boxing’s very best fighters, many of them with unique and contrasting styles. However, the one constant among all his fighters is a shared devotion and dedication to an unshakable work ethic. A fighter like Manny Pacquiao, perhaps his most famous pupil, may have been a vastly talented fighter but when he showed up at the Wild Card to train with Roach, it was an unrelenting, pre-fight work ethic, demanded by Roach, that produced results on fight night.

Roach coaches with an aggressive, offensive style that allows his fighters to engage effectively and control the ring. However, it doesn’t come at the expense of defense which is also a priority with his fighters.

Roach should be good at coaching with effective and aggressive offense. Long before he found his way into the corner as a trainer, he was a popular fighter in the featherweight through to lightweight class in the late ’70s to mid-80s era.

I don’t think it is unfair to say that the tight, fundamentally sound defense that you see in Roach-trained fighters today was not his priority as a fighter. When Freddie heard the bell, he was all offense and all-action. As the old saying goes, Roach was a “TV friendly fighter”.

Roach only fought from 1978-1986 but packed 53 bouts into that time. What was even more impressive than his activity was the quality of the opposition. Unlike today, where a loss seems to scare promoters away and tarnish a fighter’s reputation, Roach fought in a great era where a fighter could have losses and still be recognized as a very good fighter that promoters and networks didn’t ignore. In Freddie’s time, it was as important who you fought as it was to sport a glossy, (often inflated), record. Freddie Roach simply wanted to fight the very best fighters available and give you everything he had, and fans loved him for it.

Roach showed his outstanding training acumen in working with dozens of champion fighters over the years. From his first world champion, Virgil Hill transitioned to him from the late, great Eddie Futch. Or, the late-career resurgence and reinvention of Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto, to the transition of a somewhat reckless, little-known Manny Pacquiao into a well-schooled, disciplined fighter. Simply, the list goes on and on.

One of the great attributes Roach brought to the corner as a trainer was his own experience in the ring as a fighter. Roach’s own career, which sported a deep resume with some great highs and frustrating lows, allowed him to better understand the mental and physical requirements for fighters to thrive as a pro.   

Roach, hailing from Dedham, Massachusetts, turned pro in the summer of 1978, fighting his first 4 bouts in the New England area. Relocating to Las Vegas, he would build a strong following as a popular, all-action brawler. By the summer of 1979, Roach was 10-0. He had his first loss against Phoenix scrapper Neno Butez in Arizona that fall. After that, he would go on a 16-fight win streak over the next 3 years. This included impressive wins over rugged, talented veterans like Jose Resendez, Mario Chavez, and Javier Flores.

From the early ’80s until his retirement in 1986, Roach would fight 26 times. While his record reads a pedestrian 14-12, the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Roach had 2 fights with undefeated ESPN featherweight champion Louie Burke, a win over tough Texas contender Delio Palacios, and a razor-thin loss to Tommy Cordova in an ESPN junior lightweight title fight. That bout is still considered one of the best fights ever seen on the network and certainly the best fight of that year. (Roach/Cordova was the Gatti/Ward of its time). Roach would lose a very close-distance fight with legend Bobby Chacon before picking up 3 straight wins in 1985, including decisions over rugged bangers Jaime Balboa and Joey Olivera.

While Roach has often said he shouldn’t have fought the last year of his career, dropping 5 of the 6 bouts, it should be noted whom he fought. Of the 6 bouts, he fought 1 rated contender, 1 world title challenger and 2 world champions. The group boasted a combined 90-2-2 record. Freddie indeed closed out his career like he fought throughout it – game, gutsy, and never ducking anyone.

Looking over his fight record, it is quickly apparent that Roach was a tough guy in a deep era in the sport. He went from humble beginnings in Massachusetts to being a very popular network staple, garnering a large following in the fight capital of the world - Las Vegas, Nevada. Because of his success as a trainer, his own fighting career tends to get overlooked.

Roach is deservedly world-famous for his accomplishments as a trainer. He is enshrined in boxing’s most prestigious hall. He owns one of the most famous gyms in the world. He is recognized everywhere he goes in boxing circles. And, he navigates it all with an approachable, friendly, humble personality.

While famous as a trainer, before that Roach was a tough, exciting fighter. At his best, he gave you everything he had every time out, which made for some great boxing; as a fight fan, you can’t ask for much more.

As a trainer, a legend, absolutely one of the very best.

But, don’t forget his life before training as a fighter - he gave us some exciting nights under the lights.